Superstitions: The 13th Annual Hunger Games
by Estonia
Summary: A new twist to the HG. Told from several perspectives, this is NOT a syot. 24 tributes, only one will survive.
1. Chapter 1: The Reapings

**Chapter 1**

**Head Gamemaker Reeve Dace POV**

Reeve took a moment to steady himself. He had had a late night finalizing everything for the games. He never expected to become head gamemaker so soon in his career, but with the "early retirement" of last year's head gamemaker, head trainer, and many other high officials he had been told he was the best man for the job. He knew he could do much better and would not vanish into "early retirement" like so many others. Last year's games had been a complete failure. Little to no entertainment and the Capitol was calling for a change. This year's HG had to be a success, and they would be! Of this he had no doubt.

The anthem began to play on his TV, signaling the start of this year's reaping. He was interested to see how the audience would react to the new twist. The president had authorized special training "academies" in Districts 1, 2, & 4 (even though training was against the rules). This would add a new element to the games. No more tributes refusing to kill (like last year). For the past year, all the children between ages twelve through eighteen in these three districts had been training under peacekeepers. The peacekeepers weren't just training their bodies, they were also imposing a new mindset on the people of the districts: that to fight in the HG gave you honor and glory, and to win was all the better. It helped that in the past twelve years, 6 of the twelve victors had come from these districts (2 from D1, 3 from D2, and 1 from D4). The other years had been undeserving Last year the only tribute who survived the gamemaker created attacks was from D10. The others who had earned their place were from 3, 5, and 7. The other undeserving victors were from 9 and 11.

Reeve shook himself out of his musings and turned to watch the recap of the reapings. The Capitol escort in district one walked to the girls' ball. His words were lost in the shouts of "I volunteer!" A mad dash for the stage ensued ending with a strong-looking girl (age 17). The same happened with the boys. A tall attractive blond (age 18) joined the girl. "I give you the tributes of District 1: Precious Wilson and Garnet Lathan!"

The screen cut to District 2. Again tributes lunged forward, fighting to get to the stage. "The tributes of District 2: Xiomar Yancy (a muscular dark-haired boy, 17 years old) and Cozette Laraine (age 18. She would no doubt be a favorite based off her looks)."

There was a bit of a letdown in the excitement while watching the District 3 reapings. No one volunteered, and the tributes looked frightened. The girl, Marjan Wynn age 14, cried as she made her way up the stage. Her tears increased when joined by her fellow tribute: Tyrus Wynn age 14. Reeve placed their names in his "bloodbath" category.

District 4 came next. Reeve had heard a rumor that the academy had chosen their tributes before hand. This seemed to be true when only one boy and one girl volunteered. The girl tribute, however, didn't seem to fit the other "careers". She didn't look very strong and was younger than the others. Reeve put a question mark by her name. The boy seemed every bit a fighter and victor. "Oriana Riley (age 16) and Pierce Kendall (age 18)".

Reeve now settled in for the long hall. He kept his notebook handy, but didn't expect much from the other districts. District 5 and 6 produced nondescript tributes. From 5: Alair Ynes (age 13) and Rex Emerson (age 15) and from 6: Sarina Hakim (age 15) and Trent Dion (age 17). Reeve added their names to the bloodbath column.

District 7 proved a bit more interesting. The boy tribute was a volunteer, stepping in for a 12-year-old. The girl, though young, looked confident as she strode to the stage. "Marlon Ives (age 15) and Reynalda Verdell (age 16)!"

District 8 had a striking pair. Both had the potential of being attractive (after spending time with stylists, of course). They both volunteered and presented themselves as a team. Reeve put a note to pay attention to Sienna Paris (16) and Blake Orrin (17).

District 9 produced a young pair. A twelve-year-old girl and thirteen year old boy stood on the stage looking shocked. "Etta Hiram and Joven Kadir!" Reeve placed both in the bloodbath column.

The District 10 girl, Diana Eloy (age 15) was added to the bloodbath column, but the boy, Farid Drew (age 16) was strong and had a glint in his eye that Reeve recognized as rage and anger. He made a note to watch Farid. He had a potential to go far, but was not necessarily the perfect victor.

District 11 added another 12-year-old to the mix, Kaleb Warner. His district partner, Alanza Quinn, age 15 was a petite red-head. She was sure to be a favorite with the Capitol.

Finally District 12 ended the recap. They produced two skinny, dirty-looking tributes: Nikki Tate (age 18) and Renjiro (Ren) Dante (age 13). Reeve place Renjiro in the bloodbath column, but left Nikki out. He knew the president would be interested in her for use in later games (if she won, which wasn't likely).

**A/N: I do not own the Hunger Games – that belongs to Suzanne Collins.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Train Part 1

**A/N: I do not own the Hunger Games – that belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

**CHAPTER 2: The Train**

**Oriana Riley (District 4) POV**

Oriana stared out the window of the speeding train. The many types of food and drink in the car didn't tempt her one bit, unlike her fellow tribute. It was so surreal that she was chosen by the academy to be the female tribute, she still couldn't believe it. Unlike Pierce, her fellow tribute, and the others who would be in their alliance (the tributes from Districts 1 and 2), Oriana was small and young. Their mentor Jerome Severin, who won 5 years ago, had been one of the trainers at the academy and was no doubt the reason she was here.

Oriana thought back to the day all the students in school age 12-18 were taken to the academy. That was almost exactly a year from the end of the last Hunger Games. Those Hunger Games had shown the districts that the tributes could bond together, and play the games how they wanted. No tribute in the 12th Hunger Games had made a kill. Instead they worked together fighting off the gamemaker created attacks. However, the rumor was that the Capitol was not pleased by the games, a rumor that seemed to be justified by their actions: pulling the students out of school and work. They lived at the academy away from their families for 6 months. During those six months, each was forced to train their minds and bodies to become the "ideal victor". This person was to be strong, smart, attractive, and ruthless, according to the academy guidelines. The unspoken guidelines, however, wanted the students to become brutal, cold, powerful, uncaring, and list went on. This was drilled into their heads 24 hours a day for the six months.

At the end of the six months, they were released back to their families, but they continued to train. One month before the reapings, a tournament was held to choose the tributes. No one, least of all Oriana, was surprised when an 18-year-old boy, Pierce, won the boys tournament: seriously injuring several opponents in the process. The choice of Oriana came as a surprise to many in the academy. She had done well in the tournament, taking second, but had been unable to win due to a sprained wrist. Everyone expected her to go next year.

She knew why she was here, now. It wasn't because she had done well in the tournament. Rather it was because she had made enemies of the trainers and their victor, Jermaine Severin. Jermaine enjoyed using his power to get what he wanted, including the favors of the older female students. He had taken a liking to Oriana, but she had refused time and time again. She knew that the peace when he left her alone wouldn't last long, so she had threatened the tournament winner into not volunteering. Her goal was to win, return home, and give Jermaine his just "reward".

** Marjan Wynn (District 3) POV**

Marjan choked back another sob. She had been crying, it seemed, since her name (and then Tyrus') was drawn from the reaping bowl. The only reason she was hiding her tears now was she promised her parents she would be strong. That and the fact that her mentor had glared at her this whole trip. She bushed her long black hair forward to hide her face and dark blue eyes as she pretended to look out the window. Renzo Verdell, her mentor, scared her. He had won the 5th Hunger Games because of his strength. That was the year no weapons were provided. Renzo proved to be the best hand-to-hand fighter, winning the game by strangling his ally – a girl from District 5.

Marjan peeked through the curtain of hair at the other tribute on the train. Tyrus looked scared. Scared of Renzo, scared to be here, scared that she was upset. His blue eyes were still wide with fear as they had been since the reaping. Marjan remembered her parents' advice as they had said goodbye. Her father had looked her in the eyes and said, "You and Tyrus have something no other tribute will have: a connection. The two of you work so well together, you can do this." No mention was made of their winning, the whole family knew neither would return. They would not leave each other.

Marjan knew Renzo saw them both as weaklings, fit for the bloodbath, but she didn't care. What her father said gave her courage. She knew the tributes of District 3 would go far this year. She stood and walked past Tyrus on her way to bed. "Tyrus, we **will **do well. We **will **be the team to beat. They will see us as weak, easy prey. But we will show them how strong we are. **Together**." She smiled at her twin brother, and got a faint grin in return.

**Alair Ynes (District 5) POV**

Alair couldn't believe her bad luck. She was only thirteen, and she had been chosen as a tribute! Granted, it was to be expected. She had had a string of bad luck the past several weeks, ever since she broke that mirror. Then it was one thing after another. She lost on of her cleaning jobs, her younger brother got very sick, her father was injured in an accident at work, and they had lost her home. Now they had to live with her father's sister, a very superstitious woman. She almost hadn't let Alair move in with the rest of her family when she heard about the broken mirror.

Since moving in with her aunt, Alair had learned all about what to do to get bad luck and good luck. Unfortunately she seemed prone to bad, no matter what she did. She had had a suspicion about this year's games. She was thirteen, it was the Thirteenth Hunger Games, and the reapings fell on Friday the 13th. Her family (other than her aunt) had thought she was crazy to think her "bad luck" would cause her to be reaped, but it had happened. Now she could only wait to see what other misfortunes were brought upon her.

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think of these tributes. Also if you think I should add another chapter that takes place on the trains. FYI, I am not a superstitious person, I just thought since it is the _Thirteenth _Hunger Games it would be good to stick some superstitions in there. I would love suggestions of other superstitions to add to the story. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Train Part 2

**Chapter 3: The Train Part 2**

**A/N: I do not own the Hunger Games**

**Xiomar Yancy (District 2) POV**

Finally the day had come. Since the defeat of the rebels, and the start of the Hunger Games, Xiomar's father had known there was one way to ensure his son's safety: through training. Since he was ten, Xiomar had woken up early and gone to bed late in order to get in his training. Until this year, only he and his father knew about the training sessions, but this year it had all changed. With the new academies for training tributes opening in some of the Districts, Xiomar had had better equipment, facilities, and more time to train. He was by far the most versatile, agile, crafty, and strong tribute in the field this year. He knew it would not take much to beat the other tributes, not even his "allies", the boys from Districts 1 and 4. They were both a year older than Xiomar, but he was sure neither had prepared like he had. He had studied the previous victors' strategies, trained long and hard each day, and was ready to return home a victor. He rose from his seat in the train and stalked to his compartment. There was time to do a few exercises before they arrived in the Capitol and he began his path to victory.

**Sienna Paris (District 8) POV**

Sienna stormed into the eating area and shoved Blake out of his chair onto the floor. "I can't believe you did this! You had a life in front of you, why'd you give it away? I can't believe you would do something so stupid as volunteer as a tribute!"

Blake's dark brown eyes shone with an intensity she hadn't ever seen before, "Then why did you volunteer, Sienna? You know I couldn't let you go into this alone. I wrecked your life, now it is my responsibility to save it." He pushed Sienna off him, stood up, and walked out of the room.

Sienna stared at his back as the doors shut behind him. "But it wasn't your fault, Blake." she whispered as he walked out, "It was my life to do with as I pleased." In her mind she saw her family, cold and hard as they kicked her out on the street. What she had done could never be reversed, the past could not be changed. The only thing now that she could do to right her wrongs was to save Blake's life: for his loving mother, supportive mother, and his sisters. This was what she had to do.

A**lanza Quinn (District 11) POV**

As Alanza walked into the dining car, she looked at the people sitting around the table. The boy, she thought his name was Kaleb, was far to young to be a tribute in these games, and he seemed to know it. He had not said a word since his name was called. Their escort, Clytie Ransley, had been trying to get him to answer some questions. Alanza had overheard her telling their mentor he was an "adorable" little boy, sure to win over the audience. Whenever Alanza looked at him, however, all she saw was her younger siblings: lonely and scared.

The last person at the table was someone who, unlike 23 other children from District 11, had beat the odds. Marietta James had won the Hunger Games: the first ever victor for District 11. Alanza barely remembered the games she won. She was only eight when the sixth annual games occurred, but she had seen the replays. The reason Marietta had won was simple. The sixteen year old was beautiful, drawing many sponsors, and smart enough to avoid the many poisonous plants in the arena. Most of the bigger, stronger tributes had fallen to the plants, leaving Marietta as the victor. Alanza doubted she would be much help.

Alanza saw her mother in Marietta, broken, weary and without hope. Alanza thought back to her family's goodbyes. Her step-father had come in first. His eyes showed nothing but cruelty towards Alanza. He grasped her hair and pulled her head back to look at her. "You remember who you belong to. You remember!" Giving her hair a hard tug, he had stalked out of the room. Now Alanza looked at the thin white scar on her wrist. He had given it to her once when she had disobeyed his order to lock her siblings in the cellar. He had told her it was a reminder of who owned her and that she must always obey him.

Alanza had suffered far worse than that at his hand. She continued to do anything to protect her siblings. She could do nothing to help her mother and could only watch as her mother lost all hope for life. Alanza knew no one else would help her siblings. She closed her eyes and saw each one: Ashton (he was 11), Ashley (8), Audrey (6), Anthony (4), and Aimee (2). Without her to protect them, they would suffer their step-father's wrath. She needed to win, for them.

**A/N: Here is the other train chapter, I hope you like these new tributes! I will try to add another chapter this week, but I am getting ready for camp so don't be concerned if you don't hear from me for a while, I will be back! I will continue to give more tribute POVs, but if there is one you would like to hear from, let me know! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Capitol

**Chapter 4: The Capitol**

**Nikki Tate (District 12) POV:**

From the moment they had left the train and been placed in the care of their stylists, Nikki had felt a tension in the air. Honestly, she couldn't care less what it was about; she was simply glad to get away from their bubbly superficial escort. She still could not believe she had been chosen, she had planned her life around getting past her final reaping. Now it would never happen. She would never marry, never raise a family, never follow her dreams and desires. Without a mentor (no tribute from District 12 had ever come close to winning) her chances were slim. Yes, the Gamemakers would assign them a mentor, but she doubted they would be any help.

Now she waited for her stylist to come and dress her for the chariot ride. This was her first time alone since the reapings and she allowed her thoughts to return to home, to the people she had left behind. She felt tears building as she realized again what she had lost. If only Shamus; her best friend, confidant, and partner was here to watch her back! No one must know what she had lost, no one must see her sorrow. She fought back tears as she heard the door open. Her stylist had arrived.

**Garnet Lathan (District 1) POV:**

Garnet was pleased with the look he had been given. His stylist had dressed him in an outfit that shone with jewels, including garnets. The jewels offset his blond hair and blue eyes and the outfit showed his strong, muscular body. He was ready. Ready to win. He would win over the audience, the gamemakers, his mentors, his escort, and then he would win the Hunger Games. He was so glad he had been heard at the reapings. The honor that would come to his district (and to him) when he won would be immense. He could almost taste victory.

He paused to review his competition. Most of the tributes would easily be overcome. His main competition would no doubt be those in his "alliance". He had seen Precious, his district partner in training. He could easily beat her in a fight. The District 2 tributes would prove no challenge. He was stronger than both and had a year on the boy. The District 4 girl was small and weak, but she was probably the one who would stab him in the back. Somehow he had to get her to trust him fully: even to the point where she would take out her district partner. Yes, this was another year District One would have a victor.

**Sarina Hakim (District 6) POV:**

Sarina hadn't expected this. She hadn't known what all was required before the games even started. Their mentor, a man from the Capitol, had been quite frank with her. "There is no way you will ever win the games. In fact, there is no way you will make it past the first day. The only way you will ever come close is if you win over the audience. And, honey, there is no way you will ever do that." Upon saying that, he had walked out of the room and her prep team had entered.

The rest of the day was pure torture as she had been made over. She felt as though she had been completely changed, as though she was no longer Sarina Hakim, no longer a person. She felt like an exhibit for people to view. She stood in the chariot next to her district partner, Trent, and waited. Waited for the horror to begin. She heard the crowd's cheers as the chariots began to move. They were cheering for the beginning of the end. Her end. Also known as the 13th Annual Hunger Games.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is short, but I wanted to get one out since I've been gone. Tell me what you think of these tributes, especially Sarina. I would love to hear you opinions on how Garnet will win over Oriana (the District 4 tribute). I will do a couple more POVs from tributes we haven't heard from (I'm excited to do District 7: Reynalda's story), but I will soon switch to repeats. This being said, if there is a certain tribute you want to hear from, let me know! If you read this, please review or PM me! The more reviews I get, the sooner I will post chapters.**


	5. Chapter 5: Training Day 1

**Chapter 5: Training: Day 1**

**Reynalda Verdell (District 7) POV:**

Reynalda was one of the few tributes (minus those from 1, 2, and 4) who seemed ecstatic to be in the Capitol. She knew both her district partner, Marlon, and their mentor thought she was crazy. Crazy to be so excited to be here, crazy when she walked onto the train and said, "Finally!" Little did they know, she was not excited to be in the Capitol, much less to be a tribute in the Hunger Games; rather she was excited to be free. "Free," she whispered to herself as she left the room where they had watched the recap of the Opening Ceremonies. This was something she had always dreamed of, and she was going to make the most of it, however long that might be.

Had she not been reaped this year, she had been making plans to leave. Forget her overbearing and mean father, forget her 5 lazy (and also mean) brothers, she had been ready to go. Where she was planning to go, she hadn't decided. She simply knew she had to get out.

As she lay in bed, she tried to chase away her nerves. She had had a brief taste of freedom: no cooking, cleaning, washing, drying, hauling, serving, or any of the other chores she did at home. Her father called them "women's things". Funny, anything that remotely resembled work he called "women's things". And, as she was the only thing close to a woman in the house, she did it all. She didn't want to give up this freedom, but she didn't see a way out. Even if she won the Hunger Games, and returned to District 7, her father would still be there to control her life. Although, if she won, it could be he would forgo his awful, horrible plan for her. She didn't want to think about any of that tonight. She pushed it all from her mind and focused on what she would do in training tomorrow.

**Joven Kadir (District 9) POV:**

Joven didn't remember the last time he had been so scared. He knew he was supposed to be listening to the Head Trainer (he was saying something about not fighting each other), but all he could do was stare around the room at the other tributes. He was one of the youngest here, not _the _youngest because he was 13, but also one of the smallest. Many of the tributes including the boys from 1, 2, 4, and 10 and the girls from 1, 2, and 4 looked like they could snap him in half. With their eyes closed! And one hand tied behind their back!

The boy from 10 caught Joven looking at him. The boy gave him a slow smile. Not a friendly smile, but more like the smile someone might give to their enemy: right before they killed them. Joven ducked his head and moved behind several other tributes. He heard the boy chuckle, "You can't hide forever: just wait!" As soon as the Head Trainer let them go, Joven went as far from the boy as he possibly could.

Joven started at the plants station. Without a doubt, this would be the information that would keep him alive: if he could survive the blood bath and the boy from District 10. He tried to listen to the trainer carefully, but his mind kept wandering to all the older, bigger, stronger tributes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped.

"Relax. I noticed you were having some trouble and thought we could help," his district partner, Etta, and a young boy stood beside him. "This is Kaleb. He's from District 11, so he knows a lot about plants. He doesn't say much though." Etta also gave Joven a smile. Unlike the boy from 10, however, her smile was one you would give a friend: a comforting, happy smile. Joven slid over to make room for her and Kaleb.

The rest of the day, the three of them went from station to station. Though they weren't the strongest, they had other strengths. Etta was super smart. She picked up on just about everything they were taught about food, fires, snares, etc. Kaleb also knew a lot about food and medicinal plants. Joven did the best with knife throwing and sword fighting. As they worked their way around, they were joined by two more young tributes: Alair Ynes from District 5 and Renjiro Dante ("call me 'Ren'", were the first words he said to them) from District 12.

They sat together at lunch, solemnly watching the tributes from 1, 2, and 4. Suddenly Etta spoke. "Just because they have an alliance doesn't mean we can't. What do you say guys?" When the others agreed with her, Joven felt the first happiness and hope he had felt in a long time.

**Precious Wilson (District 1) POV:**

Precious had known all her life that she was destined to be great. Unfortunately, she had been unable to achieve that greatness working in the family store. That is, she was unable to achieve it until the day the academy opened. She had worked harder at the training than at anything else she had ever done. The day of the reapings, she had felt so strong, so powerful, so ready to begin her journey to greatness. And she had achieved some of the greatness by becoming the District 1 tribute. She had continued that greatness since arriving at the Capitol: everyone had loved her chariot outfit and everyone was greatly impressed by her skill with a bow and arrow. She had chosen that as her weapon of choice at the academy. With it, she could get rid of all her opponents before they even saw what was coming. Yes, she knew her destiny of greatness would soon come true: when she won.

However, after finishing her first day training in the Training Center, she could see a few problems to her plan. The others in her "alliance" were each a threat, except for Oriana (the girl from District 4): Precious believed she could beat her in a fight easily. Pierce, Oriana's district partner was one of the best long-sword fighters she had ever seen. The District 2 tributes, Cozette and Xiomar, were also problems. Cozette rivaled Precious's good looks: she would be receiving many sponsor gifts. Xiomar seemed good at just about every kind of fighting. Swords, knifes, wrestling, strength, he outshone everyone in each one.

Even though each of those tributes were a concern, Precious felt there was one far more threatening. Garnet Lathan, her district partner. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one to get rid of. He would already have a plan. A plan to take out all the miscellaneous tributes from the other Districts and a plan to take out every single person in their alliance. Not to mention his plan to get rid of her... whatever that might be. He was smart. Since he had seen who his competition would be, he had been perfecting a plan. There was only one way to keep him from carrying out his plan to kill her: she was going to have to make her trust so strongly he would keep her till the last. Then she had to make him unable to kill her. Garnet Lathan would have to fall head over heels in love with her. She had to make it happen.

**A/N: Here you go, another chapter! Reynalda has more secrets, what do you think they are? What do you think of the Precious – Garnet – Oriana triangle? The next chapter will be the second day of training. There will be at least 2 new POVs, so if there is someone you want to hear from PM or review! If there is someone you want to return, let me know! Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6: Tributes

**Chapter 6: Tributes**

**Cozette Laraine (District 2) POV:**

The last few days had been... interesting. Time had flown since Reaping Day. The day had been unusually warm, but Cozette had hardly noticed. She could remember each moment clearly: changing into her short, light blue dress; styling her dark brown hair; walking in the heat to the reapings; checking in; and the waiting. Endless waiting through the speeches, the video, and the male reaping. Finally her time had come. She beat every other girl and joined her fellow tribute on the stage. He had tried to intimidate her when they shook hands (he had a very strong grip), but she had simply smiled.

The one thing she did not want to do was disappoint her family. Her father was one of the trainers at the academy. He had pushed her hard to be ready for this day. Her mother cleaned the training facility, so she had observed every one of Cozette's sessions. Every night at supper, her mother gave her feedback on what she was doing wrong and her father told her how to correct those mistakes.

The reason her parents were so invested in her training was simple: her older brother, Cadir, had failed them three years before. Cadir had been a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. He was slated as one of the favorites from day one. But he had lost his focus. He had "fallen in love" with his fellow tribute. They spent the entire games together, until Cadir was given a choice by Drake Klancher, the District 5 tribute. Drake had them trapped and told Cadir he would spare "the girl" if Cadir sacrificed himself. To the shock of Cozette's entire family, Cadir did. In the end, Drake killed the District 2 girl and became the victor of the 10th Annual Hunger Games.

Not only did Cozette want to win the Hunger Games, she also planned to avenge Cadir's death. She didn't expect to have much problem; the tributes from District 5 would be easy to "take care of". Once she had fulfilled her promise of revenge, she would turn her attention to her "alliance". Then there would be nothing left but to claim her place as the victor.

**Farid Drew (District 10) POV:**

Farid found his mentor amusing. Shania Raffin, "victor" of the 12th Annual Hunger Games, did not deserve her title. Come on, winning simply because the gamemakers wanted her to? Not that they called it that of course. Rather they said she won because of her ingenuity. They called it ingenious that a young girl of 15 beat all every other tribute. In reality, she was one of the few tributes who didn't instigate the whole tribute alliance against the gamemakers. She was also pretty, young, and impressionable. The perfect victor in the capitols eyes. Farid found the whole thing amusing. They were the same age: how would she be any help to him!

In fact, Farid wished she were going to the arena with him. He would love to punish her along with every other tribute for the death of his parents. Farid was only two when they died, but he had heard stories. The capitol forces had destroyed the stockyard where they both worked as an "example" to the rebels. Farid's parents had both died slow, painful deaths as a result of their injuries.

In training, Farid has itched to begin dealing out punishments. However, he did not want to create a bad reputation with the gamemakers, so he avoided the other tributes. Watching them train made him sick. Each minute wasted in the training center was a minute longer he had to wait. There was no point in training the others: they were simply cattle, waiting to be slaughtered. He could not wait to begin the slaughtering. He could not wait for the games to begin.

**A/N: So I know I said this would be the second day of training, but Cozette and Farid's POVs didn't really fit with training. This chapter is rather short, but these POVs didn't really fit with anyone else's. Day two training will be next. Be ready to hear from one of the District 3 tributes, one of the career tributes, and one or two other tributes. If there is someone you would like to hear from (whether we have heard from the before or not), please let me know! I am unsure who the 4th tribute in the chapter will be, so your choice could be the one.**


	7. Chapter 7: Training Day 2

**Chapter 7: Training Day Two**

**Marlon Ives (District 7) POV:**

Marlon had taken on an interesting role in the Training Center. He would have never placed himself in this role: the role of a "watcher". He found it difficult to train because he was struggling with his breathing once again. He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to breathe easily. All his life his mother had tried different remedies to ease his breathing: stream baths, teas, anything she thought would help. Oh course, they had no money to go to a doctor. They had saved money so Marlon could have tests done, but the reapings occurred shortly after the money was raised.

And now Marlon was here. In the Capitol. Watching. The first day of training, he had tried to follow his mentor's advice. Darryl Gammill was one of the oldest victors. He won the 2nd Annual Hunger Games when he was 18. The morning before they went to the Training Center he told Marlon, "When I came to the Hunger Games, I knew nothing. But I worked hard in training, I gave 100% every single second I was in the center. That is what you need to do." Marlon had tried to follow his advice, but halfway through the first day he had gotten light-headed and fainted. From that point on he had decided to simply watch.

When Darryl heard what had happened, he had promptly turned his attention from Marlon to his district partner, Reynalda. Marlon saw them talking together all the time. Whenever he walked over to them, they stopped their conversation and silently stared at him. Even their escort seemed to think Reynalda had a better chance. Marlon didn't doubt it, Reynalda was tough. She seemed strong and unbreakable, albeit a little strange at times. Even so, Marlon felt more alone than he had ever felt before.

**Marjan Wynn (District 3) POV:**

The first day of training had been hard. The hardest part was watching Tyrus withdraw into himself. Marjan was having to take the leader role. She had to be the strong one. At night, she cried herself to sleep, but during the day she tried to be courageous. Yesterday she and Tyrus had stuck to the survival stations. They had been taught edible and posionous plants, how to build fires, and how to make shelters. Unfortunately, Marjan had been so focused on encouraging Tyrus that she had not paid that much attention. Hopefully today she could focus on both.

While they sat at the camoflauge station Marjan looked around the room. The alliance from Districts 1, 2, and 4 spent their time with weapons. The young alliance went from station to station together trying their hand at everything. The rest of the tributes moved from station to station alone, except for the boy who fainted yesterday. He sat on the side of the Training Center not even trying. Everything that was going on was rather overwhelming.

"Tyrus, let's go do something that we're good at." Marjan stood up, pulling Tyrus along with her. She led him over to the spears. "We use these for fishing every day! Let's put our skills to good use!" For the rest of the day, they worked with the trainer fighting with a spear. Marjan was happy to see some life out of Tyrus; he adapted easily to fighting instead of fishing. "See, Tyrus? We are strong. We can do this." She felt a small flicker of hope.

**Oriana Riley (District 4) POV:**

Oriana loved all of the options in the training center. Her specialty was knives: whether it was throwing or fighting she always succeeded. Yesterday she had spent the entire day throwing all the different knives; learning how to work with the new materials. Today she was practicing hand-to-hand with one of the trainers. Every time she paused, she could feel Garnet (the district one tribute) watching her. It was a little distracting, but she tried to push it out of her mind and focus on her task at hand.

**Garnet Lathan (District 1) POV:**

Without a doubt, the Hunger Games was the ultimate competition. It was a test of strength, smarts, and social skills. Garnet knew he was number one in two of those tasks hands down. The one he was not so sure of was social skills. All day yesterday he had attempted to win Oriana over, but thus far he had not made any progress. He watched her fighting with the trainer. She was good. Better than he had suspected, which only made it more important to succeed in his plan.

He walked over where Oriana was fighting. She was just finishing and when she stopped for a moment, he walked closer. "You're good. But have you thought about training in something other than knives? I was thinking of taking a look at the survival stations, but I would like a partner. What do you say?"

**Oriana Riley (District 4) POV:**

Oriana could not believe her eyes and ears. Garnet was wanting to learn _survival _skills? She thought the plan for their alliance was to gain control of all the supplies so they didn't have to learn survival skills. Yet, there was some truth to his words. Anything could (and likely would happen). You never knew when some survival skills might come in handy. Oriana refused to encourage Garnet's "infatuation", but he would make a good partner.

**Precious Wilson (District 1) POV:**

Precious couldn't figure out what Garnet was up to. Thus far he had seemed to enjoy flirting with her, but only when they were alone. Whenever they were with their "allies" he focused his attention on Oriana. Why that was, she couldn't imagine.

As they rode the elevator back to their floor, Precious leaned up against Garnet. "So what's up with you and the District 4 girl? Studying _survival _skills?! What's up with that?"

"Would you believe me if I said I spend time with her because I enjoy her company?"

"Honestly, no! I thought you and I were an item. You want to trade our history for a fling with a girl who you are planning to kill? I promise to watch your back, to be your girl; if you get rid of this girl." Precious pushed away from Garnet, her eyes flashing. The elevator doors opened, and she stalked to her room. That would teach him! It was time to play hard to get.

**A/N: Here you go, another chapter! Next will be the private sessions, the tribute scores, and then the interviews. I am thinking of briefly featuring each tribute in the interviews, and I would love to have some question suggestions. Please review or PM me with the questions you want the tributes to answer! **


	8. Chapter 8: Private Sessions

**Chapter 8: Private Sessions**

**Head Gamemaker Reeve Dace POV:**

The day had come. In just a few hours the tributes would enter the one by one for their private sessions. Reeve took a moment to review his checklist. There were so many factors to consider as the gamemakers would have to sit through about six hours of private sessions. He would need to keep a constant supply of food and drink so that the 19 other gamemakers would stay entertained.

Oh, and of course they would need to come up with scores for each of the tributes.

**Gamemaker Sachi Breslow POV:**

Sachi had been thrilled to be chosen as one of the gamemakers for the 13th Annual Hunger Games. This was the highest position in all of the Capitol. All her friends were envious, especially when they heard that Reeve Dace was the Head Gamemaker. With his promotion to Head Gamemaker Reeve had become the Capitol's most desirable bachelor. Sachi's social status had risen considerably since her promotion to gamemaker, and thus far her job had consisted of eating, drinking, and enjoying herself.

"_Your first tribute; Garnet Lathan, District 1"_

**Reeve Dace POV:**

Reeve watched as the strong, blond boy walked confidently into the gymnasium. He strode over to the swords, chose two and began to sword fight. Reeve had been impressed with Garnet from the day of the reapings, and from the mummers around him, so were the other Gamemakers.

"_Precious Wilson, District 1"_

Although Precious seemed to fit the typical blond, she had a tenacity about her that was hard to miss. She walked to the targets, chose a bow, brushed back her hair, and begin to shoot. Though she was not as impressive as Garnet, Reeve had no doubt she would pull a high score.

**Sachi Breslow POV:**

Sachi loved the new varieties of food and drink provided for the day. In the first thirty minutes, she had enjoyed a glass of a new wine and was ready to try a bright green cocktail.

"_Xiomar Yancy, District 2"_

Sachi took a glance at the tribute walking into the arena. He was by far her favorite tribute; tall, with dark brown hair and eyes that looked almost black, and he had a dark side to his personality. Then there was the fact that he had excelled at every physical task presented to him. She knew what score she would push for.

"_Cozette Laraine, District 2" _

**Reeve Dace POV:**

The one thing that had stuck out to Reeve as she watched Cozette was her focus. No matter what she was doing there was an intensity to her actions. Her focus and intensity definitely aided her in her weapon choice. Any weapon you could throw (knives, spears, spears, etc), she could use to hit any target. Reeve bet she could throw a sharp rock to take someone out.. Unlike Xiomar's intensity (which often seemed volatile), Cozette's would no doubt prove more deadly.

"_Tyrus Wynn, District 3"_

This boy had been exactly what Reeve had expected; Nondescript in every way. He had seemed subdued up until the last day of training. Then he had joined his sister in training with spears. Surprisingly, they seemed to have some previous even though their district was known for inventions and technological advancements. It would be interesting to see where they learned to use a spear.

"_Marjan Wynn, District 3"_

The spunk of this girl had surprised Reeve. Even though she came into this greatly outmatched and having to play against her brother she had pushed on. She had rallied herself and her brother, obviously she was willing to fight in this game. She did much the same as Tyrus, using a spear. Once again Reeve wondered where this talent came from.

"_Pierce Kendall, District 4"_

**Sachi Breslow POV:**

Ninety minutes in and Sachi was mildly bored. The only thing keeping her interested right now was the variety of food and drink. She was pacing herself slightly, only have one glass for every tribute. She tried a different drink at every new district. That meant she had had... let's see, ah yes. The new red wine, the bright green cocktail, and her longtime favorite: a flaming cocktail. Now that a new, handsome tribute had walked into the gymnasium, she could have some of the white wine.

The tribute did some things with a sword that impressed Sachi, but she still liked the Disctrict 2 tribute better.

"_Oriana Riley, District 4"_

Sachi was finding it a bit difficult to focus on this new tribute; after all she was smaller and younger than the other "careers" (the name given to the tributes from District 1, 2, and 4 after the training academies were created). She threw some knives around, severing a rope that held her victim (a dummy) up and then striking it in the head with a kill shot. She also did a bit of knife fighting. Sachi was impressed. Maybe this girl deserved a decent score after all.

**Reeve Dace POV:**

Reeve had worked in some position for the Hunger Games since he was eighteen. He was always surprised at the group of personalities chosen for the Gamemakers. There were always a few who took their job seriously, but most people were focused on enjoying themselves. Some were very smart, some had average smarts, and some were simply ditzy. As Head Gamemaker, it was his job to direct all these personalities to work together and get the job done – which was easier the more they had to drink. However, many of the gamemakers had already consumed quite a bit of alcohol, and they weren't even half way through. At least they had managed to hold on through the career tributes.

"_Rex Emerson, District 5"_

Rex had fulfilled Reeve's expectations: to be nondescript in every way. He came into the gymnasium and went over to plants station. He appeared to be trying to create a mixture of plants, but to what end, Reeve couldn't tell. His time ended before he was finished.

"_Alair Ynes, Distict 5"_

This girl had seemed flighty and nervous the entire time she had been here, and today was no different. She walked into the gymnasium, and stepped on the crack by the door. Immediately she began spinning in a circle (she appeared to turn seven times around). Reeve was very confused. Was this some sort of fighting her hadn't seen before? It didn't seem to be very effective. Next she walked over to the plants station and stuck a plant (it looked like garlic) in her pocket. This was an interesting display, however, Reeve wasn't sure what they would do with it.

"_Trent Dion, District 6"_

**Sachi Breslow POV:**

The tributes were beginning to blur together. One after another they came into the gymnasium, and they all did something or anther then left. Only a few made an impression on her.

"_Sarina Hakim, District 6"_

The girl seemed to fly around the room. You couldn't see small motions, the girl was simply a blur. Either that, or she was just drunk.

"_Marlon Ives, District 7"_

Then there was the pale boy. Sachi wondered if he had ever been in the sun. Did he just sit in a dark room all day?

"_Reynalda Verdell, District 7"_

This girl did some sort of kicking, punching thing. Sure, she took out a dummy, but who really cares. It reminded her of one of her favorite drinks. She helped herself to a Mai Tai.

"_Blake Orrin, District 8"_

"_Sienna Paris, District 8"_

They had now been in these private sessions for four hours. Sachi was tired. All she wanted was to go home and sleep off the hangover that was sure to come in the morning. Instead, she would have to sit here for another two hours, and then they had to discuss the scores! Sachi didn't know how she could make it.

"_Joven Kadir, District 9"_

"_Etta Hiram, District 9"_

**Reeve Dace POV:**

"_Farid Drew, District 10"_

Reeve was losing his fellow gamemakers. It was frustrating, but they had seen the important tributes save one, the boy from District 10. Just then, the boy strode into the arena. He was by leaps and bonds the strongest tribute here. His main competition would by the Xiomar, the boy from District 2. It would be important to make sure a rivalry was created between them. Hopefully, some of the other gamemakers were paying attention

"_Diana Eloy, District 10"_

"_Kaleb Warner, District 11"_

"_Alanza Quinn, District 11"_

"_Renjiro Dante, District 12"_

"_Nikki Tate, District 12"_

Reeve signaled to shorten the other tributes time, after all, none of them were worth any high score. In the shortened time, only two tributes stuck out: Alanza who was an excellent climber (she looked as though she could climb up a smooth wall) and Nikki who made the most complicated snares to string up the dummies. Finally, all the tributes were finished. Now, the real work began.

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I had to take a break for midterms. This chapter is mostly to relay information. I plan to have the scores out sometime this week. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Tribute Scores

**Chapter 9: Training Scores **

**Capitol Resident Coriolanus Snow POV:**

Coriolanus greatly enjoyed this time of year. This was the time when the Capitol was sated and the Districts were subdued. This was where the power was, and someday he would have that power. Though he was young, he was in the perfect position to become the next president; thanks to his girlfriend, the current president's great niece. All Corniolanus had to do was marry the girl, and bide his time. He would have the power, but first he had to be patient. At least while he waited, there was the ultimate entertainment.

_The Tribute Scores_

**District 1:**

Garnet Lathan, 10

Precious Wilson, 8

**District 2:**

Xiomar Yancy, 10

Cozette Laraine, 9

**District 3:**

Tyrus Wynn, 6

Marjan Wynn, 5

**District 4:**

Pierce Kendell, 9

Oriana Riley, 10

**District 5:**

Rex Emerson, 4

Alair Ynes, 4

**District 6:**

Trent Dion, 6

Sarina Hakim, 4

**District 7:**

Marlon Ives, 1

Reynalda Verdell, 6

**District 8:**

Blake Orrin, 7

Sienna Paris, 4

**District 9:**

Joven Kadir, 4

Etta Hiram, 3

**District 10:**

Farid Drew, 9

Diana Eloy, 3

**District 11:**

Kaleb Warner, 3

Alanza Quinn, 6

**District 12:**

Renjiro Dante, 2

Nikki Tate, 5

**A/N: Short and sweet! Next up, the interviews! If you have a suggestion for an interview questions, please review or PM me! **


	10. Chapter 10: Interviews Part 1

**A/N: For this chapter, the interviewer's dialog will be in italics. **

**Chapter 10: Interviews: Districts 1-4**

_**Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to your host for this evening, ROLLAND NAGARAND!**_

The crowd went wild as Rolland Nagarand walked onto the stage. Host since the First Annual Hunger Games, he was a favorite and excellent at engaging the crowd.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen! I am so excited to be here again this year as the host for the THIRTEENTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES! This is going to be the best games yet! Tonight, we will meet the tributes competing in this year's games. Remember, each tribute is only allowed 3 minutes for their interview, and then we will not hear from them again tonight. Are you ready?! Let's show our support for the 24 tributes!"

Once again, the crowd went wild, cheering and shouting as the tributes filed on stage. Each tribute had been made over for their interview.

"Alright, let's get these interviews started! Some of the questions I will ask tonight come from the winners of our "Ask the tributes" contest. Thank you to everyone who submitted a question, but we can only use so many of them." Rolland took his seat in the center of the stage. "Please welcome Precious Wilson, District 1!" Precious stood and walked to her seat. Her platinum blond hair framed her face, showing off her hazel eyes. Her purple dress almost reached the floor, except for the slit that went up her thigh. As she sat, she crossed her legs; showing just enough leg to be risqué.

_"Precious, you look very nice tonight, as you did in the opening ceremonies. You and your partner were voted to have the best female and male outfits. Does that come as a surprise to you?"_

"Honestly, Rolland? Not at all. We are by far the most attractive tributes here, and we make a great couple, don't we?! Who wouldn't look good standing next to either of us!"

_"True, you do compliment each other well. With that in mind, do you plan to ally yourself with anyone in the arena?"_

"Well, there is a tribute here who compliments me in every way. Wouldn't you consider making an alliance if you had the perfect partner? As far as other alliances go, I guess you will just have to wait and see."

_"That's the buzzer, thank you Precious!"_

_"Let's welcome Garnet Lathan, District 1!"_

_"Garnet, your district partner seemed to indicate a bond between the two of you. Is this something you agree with?"_

"You know Rolland, when you grow up together you do form a bond. Whether or not that bond will come into play in the arena... We will just have to wait and see what happens."

_"Not only were you voted the best male costume in the Opening Ceremonies, after scoring as one of the two highest training scores, you are labeled as the Capitols' favorite tribute. Is this something you were expecting? And were you satisfied with you training score?"_

"I never expected to be voted the favorite tribute, but for that I must give my thanks to my admirers in Panem. Thank you for your support, when I win; I promise to reward you for it! As far as the ten; I truly feel I deserved a higher score, but it is difficult to show your full skill with the opponents provided for the Private Sessions. When I get in the arena, no one will be able to stand in my way."

_"Thank you, Garnet!"_

_ "Ladies and Gentlemen, Cozette Laraine, District 2!"_

Cozette's wavy, chocolate-brown hair formed a braided crown with hair flowing out of it to her shoulders. Where Precious' dress was long, Cozette's orange dress was short. She walked to the chair and sat down.

_"Cozette, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall a tribute from three years ago whose last name was also Laraine. Tell me, are you of any relation to Cadir Laraine?"_

"Cadir was my brother."

_"How did it feel to see him in the Hunger Games, and then be given the opportunity to follow in his footsteps?"_

"Cadir and I were the best of friends, but we were also rivals. I made it a goal in my life to always keep up with and beat my older brother in everything he did. He had the advantage of being three years older than I was, but I never let that stop me. Every accomplishment he made in school, I set out to best: and many of them I did. When he was chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, I knew he would go far. I also knew whatever he did, I would have to do better when I entered the Hunger Games. He made it to the final eight, but that was all. I plan to win the entire Games and that way finally beat my brother. I also know, he would be cheering me on and pushing me to do the best I can do."

_"Thank you, Cozette!"_

_ "Please welcome Xiomar Yancy of District 3!"_

_ "Welcome Xiomar. I say, you are much taller and muscular in person than you are on the television! You seem to have the best physical fitness of all the tributes, but besides your obvious strength, what will be your greatest strength in the arena?"_

"My greatest strength is anything and everything about me. I have prepared for this moment mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have studied each and every pivotal moment in previous Hunger Games, so I know what moments will change the game for me. I am able to evaluate every single person's motives and to evaluate every situation to determine the best way for me to advance in the game."

_"You say you have prepared for this moment in many ways. What would you say is the most important lesson you have learned that will help you in the games?"_

"I have learned to trust myself, and myself alone. I have learned that I am a very trustworthy person, and that I will help myself go far. No one else can get me where I want to go."

_"With that our time is up. Good luck to you, Xiomar."_

_ "Now, turn your attention to Marjan Wynn, District 3!"_

Marjan looked striking in a light blue dress with a black belt. Her blue eyes, already set off by her black hair, seemed to pop out with a huge intensity.

_"Marjan, many of our viewers are wondering about the bond you have with your fellow tribute. It seems to go farther and deeper than most sibling/twin bonds. Tell me a little about Tyrus."_

"Tyrus and I have been together since birth. We spend most of our time together and have a such a close bond. We are team in everything we do. In fact, one of our family's jobs is to fish the District 3 fishery (which is used for genetic research). When working together to fish, it is almost as though we can read each others mind. There is no one else I would rather be going into this with."

_"If you had not been reaped with Tyrus, would you have volunteered so you could go in with him, or would you have cheered him on waiting for him to come home?"_

"We act as one. I can't imagine my life without Tyrus, and I would not have wanted him to face this alone. I would have volunteered in a heart beat to join him here."

_"Best of luck tomorrow, Marjan."_

_ "The 'other half' Tyrus Wynn!"_

_ "Tyrus, Marjan just said that she would have joined you in a heart beat had she not been reaped. How much does that support mean to you and do you wish she wasn't here?"_

"Marjan was so upset when she was reaped, and she got more and more upset when I was reaped. However, once we got on the train, she pulled herself together for one reason: me. Her support is what had kept me going over the last few days; I can't imagine this without her. So, selfishly, I would have to say that I would want her to be here with me no matter what."

_"Well, it sounds as though District 3 is the unified team of the games. Thank you, Tyrus."_

_ "The beautiful tribute from District 4, Oriana Riley!"_

Oriana's white dress (long in the back, coming to a 'v' in the front), set off her skin (she had a lovely natural tan) and her dark brown/black hair. The Capitol had joked all week that Oriana and Xiomar's looks were so similar, they had to be siblings separated at birth and raised in different dirstricts. Unlike Xiomar, Oriana was very small. She was short, but well proportioned so you couldn't tell unless she was standing next to some one. She sat on the edge of the seat and rested her feet on the ground."

_"Let's talk for a moment about your score. You were the only female tribute to score a 10, and one of the only three tribute, male or female, to score a ten. Do you feel that puts a target on your back? How carefully do you have to play the game now that you have established yourself as a strong player?"_

"I think the key word there is that I have established myself as a strong player. That was my goal going into the Private Session. I think people often look down on me, literally and figuratively, because of my size. I simply wanted to let people see that I deserve a chance to be apart of this game and that you should never discount me because of my size."

_"You certainly seem to have a drive to play this game as evidenced by you being the only volunteer for your district. Take us back to that moment. What were your thoughts as you volunteered and as you took the stage?"_

"That feels like it was a long time ago! Let me think... I knew going into the reapings that this year was my year. I planned to volunteer to show my district, the other districts, and the Capitol what I was made of. As I stood on stage, I could feel my district supporting me, cheering me on, and I was excited for this adventure."

_"I hope this adventure is all you want it to be, Oriana!"_

_ "Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Pierce Kendell of District 4!"_

_ "Pierce, I think you have impressed everyone from the moment you were reaped. You have approached the game with confidence and excitement which awarded you with a strong score. My question for you is, do you have any strategy ideas to win this game?"_

"I think anyone who comes into this game without strategy are fooling themselves if they think they can win. I think a smart strategy to follow is to know your competition and look for ways, at least initially, to help each advance in the game. Then it ultimately will become how well you know your final opponent. The one who knows the other best will have a leg up in the final two. This is the strategy I have tried to approach the game with."

_"You seem to place value in learning about others. Is this a value you learned from your family? Who is left at home cheering you on to win?"_

"I am an only child, so I have an undivided support group in my family back home. I live with my mom and dad and my grandmother. My biggest fan and the person who inspires and teaches me the most is definitely my grandmother. She is the one who taught me that, in order to know someone, you have to invest time in talking to them and studying them. She is the main reason I want to win; I want to bring her honor as a thank you for teaching me so much."

_"We salute your grandmother for growing such a perfect tribute. Thank you, Pierce!"_

**A/N: In order to keep this from becoming super long, I have decided to break the Interviews into several chapters. Stay tuned for Districts 5-12!**


	11. Chapter 11: Interviews Part 2

**A/N: For this chapter, the interviewer's dialog will be in italics. **

**Chapter 11: Interviews: District 5 -**

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, our next tribute, Alair Ynes!"_

_ "Welcome, Alair! I noticed when you came in, and even now, you are crossing your fingers. I also seem to recall seeing you do this in the opening ceremonies as well. I think our audience would be interested to learn why."_

"Simple. I am, just like everyone else here, preparing for the games. Some people prepare physically and mentally (which I have done somewhat), but I have focused mainly on one thing: the supernatural, the "luck" aspect."

_"I can't say we have ever had a tribute focus on that before. What made you choose to focus on this aspect?"_

"It will be the thing that makes or breaks my game. Everything points to the fact that this will be a very luck-filled (both good and bad) game. Just think about what has happened to bring us to this point. It is the **13****th**annual games and the reapings fell on the **13****th**day of the month. Thirteen is a number filled with luck; mostly bad. Then I have more bad luck besides that. I turned **13 **this year, and I broke a mirror about a month ago which gives me seven years of bad luck. It is essential that I continue to try to change my luck, or I have no chance in this game."

_"Something to think about to be sure. Ladies and Gentlemen, the "lucky" Alair Ynes!"_

_ "Let's meet Alair's district partner: Rex Emerson!"_

_ "So Rex, how do you feel about the "luck" that seems to be following your fellow tribute? Are you also preparing for the luck part of the game? I didn't realize this was what District 5 studied!"_

"No, Rolland, this is not something I am preparing for. I think good luck/bad luck is simply flimsy and worthless superstitions. I do not think it means anything as far as the game goes."

_"So I take it you do not have a 'good luck' alliance with you district partner. If you are not focusing on the luck aspect, what are you focusing on? How are you preparing for this game?"_

"I am probably focusing on the physical part as I prepare for the game. I feel I have a decent handle on the mental aspect, in fact, my family calls me "The Professor" because I know a lot about a lot of things. I feel I am more prepared physically, but I do not think I compete with some of the other male tributes here. In the arena, I think it will come down to how prepared I am mentally."

_"Thank, Rex. Or should I say, 'the Professor'?!"_

_ "Moving right along we turn to the tribute who looked so lovely during the opening ceremonies: Sarina Hakim!"_

_"I don't know if you know this Sarina, but you were one of the top three winners in the best opening ceremony contest. You truly seemed to glow that evening, and you look beautiful tonight as well."_

"Thank you, honestly after my stylist got done with me I felt like a totally different person. Though I am glad to be from District 6, I feel as if I am now a part of the Capitol as well. It gave me a wonderful experience before I leave." With that, Sarina stood and walked back to her seat.

_"I suppose that is all we will hear from Sarina tonight! Let's see if her district partner is more talkative."_

_ "Please welcome Trent Dion of District 6!" _

_ "Well, Trent, since we didn't learn much about your district partner, tell us about yourself. Give us three words that describe yourself."_

"I think the biggest one is loyalty and honesty. Once I pledge that to someone, I will stick with it forever. Next is pride. I am very proud, not of myself, of my district. Because we have never had a victor in these games, I have pledged to bring honor to my district in these games. I never break my word and I **will **honor my district in these games. The best way for me to honor my district is to win."

_"I find it interesting that you included pride in that list, but you did not mention pride in yourself. Is there a time that you are prideful of yourself or your accomplishments?"_

"I prefer to allow myself to bring pride to others through my focused and driven work. However, I know if I am able to honor my district; then I will have pride in what I have done."

_"Well I believe with your determination you have an excellent shot at honor to your district, and who knows? Maybe that determination with make you a forerunner of these games. Best of luck, Trent!"_

_"We have an interesting set of tributes coming up. One was a volunteer for these games and the other a young tribute who is very, very confident. We will start with the confident Reynalda Ives!"_

_ "Reynalda, I think you are one of the most confident young ladies here tonight. Where does this confidence come from? You are not the strongest or the oldest tribute here."_

"I think the majority of my confidence comes form the freedom I have received from becoming a tribute. I had an... interesting home situation and I was ready to branch out on my own. Though I have lived with my father and five brothers my whole life, I have mostly had to fend for myself."

_"I would imagine so if you were the only girl in a household with six men. Do you feel you have a chance to win this game?"_

"Without a shadow of doubt in my mind I have the feeling I will go far in these games. I cannot predict the outcome, but I know with every minute I spend away from my "home" I gain a desire to have more freedom and more of my own experiences. I wouldn't count me out just yet."

_"I wouldn't count you out either. The desire for freedom can take you far in this game. Thank you, Reynalda!"_

_ "We saw a strong desire to win in the young lady representing district 7. Her district partner volunteered to be in these games. Let's see if he shares a similar desire. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Marlon Ives!"_

Marlon walked unsteadily to the chair. He felt light-headed and thought he might faint again. He just had to get through the interview, and then he could rest once more.

_"Most often we have older tributes volunteer when they feel they will not get another chance at these games. What spurred you, as a 15-year-old boy with three more years of opportunities to be a tribute, to volunteer?"_

Marlon took a moment and tried to catch his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was sound as though something was wrong. "It was my time. I knew that it was the year for me to volunteer, so I did."

_"What has surprised you, as someone who wanted to come to these games?" _

"Training. I thought I would be more easily able to keep up with the other tributes, but that was not the case. I was unable to physically do all that the other tributes could do."

_"Won't not training affect how you play the game? Do you have a strategy to overcome your lack of training?"_

Marlon felt as though the room was spinning, and he had a hard time focusing on what Rolland had said. What did he say? Ah yes, something about strategy. Gathering his strength, Marlon stood as he answered Rolland.

"I suppose I will simply have to play it by ear." Marlon turned and stumbled back to his chair. He tried not to collapse into it, as he knew the cameras were still on him. To his relief, Rolland moved on to the next tribute.

_"Another set of volunteers who seem to come into these games as a team. Let's see what Sienna Paris from district 8 has to say!"_

_ "I think I, and all the others watching assume you and Blake came into this as a team. But there was a moment at the reapings that you looked shocked when Blake volunteered. Did you not plan to volunteer together?_

"For the life of me, I could not figure out why Blake volunteered. I had decided long before the reapings that I was going to volunteer, but I hoped that Blake wouldn't join me. When he volunteered, however, I realized there was no way I could do this without him. I have known him my whole life; I think I spent more time with his family than with my own."

_"It seems as though you will have an excellent partner, however there can only be one victor. Will that put a lot of stress on you? This game will already demands that you work well under great stress. How well do you do under pressure?"_

"I am able to work very well under pressure; a skill I learned from working in District 8. I know people will expect there to come a time when Blake and I will have to part ways, but I do not plan for that to happen. My goal is not to win this game, rather it is to ensure that Blake wins. Working well under pressure? I know there will be pressure in this game, but I plan to take it in stride."

_"We shall see if you are able to work as well under pressure as you say. Thank you, Sienna!"_

_ "Let's see what her partner has to say about her plan. Ladies and Gentlemen, Blake Orrin!"_

_ "Blake, we will come back to what Sienna had to say, but first I want to ask you this. There seems to be a volunteering trend this year. We have had 5 boys and 4 girls volunteer: 9 tributes total. I think that is a record for the highest number of tributes to volunteer in all the Hunger Games. What is your take on this?"_

"Obviously I can't speak for everyone, Rolland. All I know is there is one reason I volunteered as tribute."

_"Would this have something to do with you district partner?"_

"It has absolutely everything to do with Sienna. At some point, you will no doubt hear her try to influence me by saying something about how it was her own fault her life was ruined, but really it was mine. I couldn't let her throw her life away for something I had done. If she wins, she will have a fresh, new start. That's the greatest gift I think I could give her."

_"Let me make sure I got this right: you are going into the arena to make sure she is the victor?"_

"That is absolutely correct. And there is nothing she can say or do to change my mind about it."

_"I wish you the best of luck in that, Blake!"_

**A/N: Once again, I will break the interviews up. I have been busy when finals and the end of school, but I can hopefully get some chapters written over break. Next up, the interviews from Districts 9 – 12. Then we get to the start of the games!**


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